Birth of a new devil
by Dante665
Summary: After an attack by a mysterious creature, The titans have to deal with a new threat from Raven! And Beastboy is going crazy! Things happen that will end up doing stuff! and the Titans will never be the same again  in this universe
1. Chapter 1: Witching Hour

"TITANS, TROUBLE!" Nightwing's voice blared over the speaker system. To Gar's enhanced senses, the voice was almost unbearably loud. Needless to say, it brought him out of his comfortable sleep. Gar sat up, rubbing his eyes. He glanced at the clock, and noticed it was three in the morning.

"Duuuuude! Don't bad guys ever sleep?" He shouted to no one in particular. Getting out of bed, he mumbled to himself, "this better be a major emergency. If Jump City Police could handle this but chose not to, then I'm going back to bed." He threw on a clean uniform and ran toward the meeting room.

On his way there, he paused by Raven's room. He stopped and listened for a moment. All he heard was a faint groaning, which he learned was Raven's equivalent of moaning in agony.

"Raven, are you ok? What's going on?" He asked concern evident in his tone.

Raven froze, sweat forming on her forehead. A mysterious pain and intense nausea had woken her an hour before Robin had called the team. She stifled the groans, cursing Beastboy's excellent hearing in her mind; she finally managed to say, in her customary monotone, "It's nothing. Just too early to be prancing around the city in a leotard."

Gar considered her words for a moment. Her tone wavered ever so slightly; those that did not know Raven as Gar did would have never guessed something was wrong. He wasn't sure what to do. He was about to speak when Raven said, "Just go, and tell the others I will be out in a bit." Gar paused just a moment longer, and then left.

When he got to the meeting room, he saw Starfire and Robin were already there, both looking equally… ruffled. Beastboy lifted a questioning eyebrow, frowning at the two of them. Nightwing remained stoic, but Starfire blushed just a tiny bit. If that wasn't a dead giveaway, Beastboy could smell their mingled sweat. He shook his head, giving out a small chuckle. The doors opened and Cyborg entered, rubbing his human eye to clear it of sleep. He looked at Nightwing, saying, "Man, it is too damn early to be out chasin' goofballs." Beastboy quickly piped in, "How did you know something was up anyway? Were you awake this whole time?" Beastboy smirked at the look on Starfire's face. Nightwing only blanched slightly. He was trickier to throw off guard than others.

Nightwing responded, "I have an alert in my room. And where's Raven?" He was staring at Beastboy, an accusatory eyebrow raised.

Beastboy frowned, and said, "She said she'll be here soon." No sooner had he finished then Raven appeared in a shroud of darkness. Nightwing nodded, and said, "Alright team, let's move out." He grabbed Starfire's hand, and they flew out the window, while Raven levitated Cyborg and followed. Beastboy waited a moment after the others, and then jumped out of the open window, turning into a large crow mid fall and soaring off.

On the way, Nightwing briefed the others on what was happening. Apparently, some large animal got loose, and was causing all sorts of havoc. The path of destruction was easy enough to follow. Beastboy was the first to spot the beast. He alerted the others, and then turned into a tiger. He ran towards the creature, preparing to engage it in battle, when it turned, lashing out with its tail. The sharp tip sliced Beastboy's shoulder, and sent him flying back. He got a good look at the monster and froze. It was no animal he had ever seen, and all his instincts were going haywire. What stood before him had a reptilian hide, large, cloven feet, a whip-like tail, scythe-like claws, an elongated snout that had large mandibles on each side of it, gleaming red eyes, and fins running down its back. The gruesome creature hissed at Beastboy, before lunging forward. It slashed with its vicious claws, but Beastboy was quicker, turning into a snake and escaping. He slithered behind it and quickly changed into a gorilla. He grabbed its tail, and began spinning quickly, before finally tossing it into a building. It wasn't even phased for a moment. It rebounded off the wall quickly, lunging for a kill strike. Before it could hit, a beam of white sound smashed into the creature, sending it rolling away. "Yo! What is that thing?" Cyborg shouted at Beastboy. Before he could answer, the monster was back up, glaring at them both with murderous rage in its eyes.

However, before it could attack, the rest of the Titans showed up. Seeing the odds were against it, the creature started backing away. It was glaring at each member, as though trying to analyze their weaknesses. When it finally saw Raven, the beast's eyes widened, and it stood up straighter. In a gravelly voice, it said, "Daughter of Trigon! It is for you that I have come to this despicable world. Come, the time of the Awakening is almost upon you. It is time to return home." The monster began walking away, but turned when she wasn't following. "Why do you not follow, child of the eighth Devil?"

Raven was initially shocked by this creature, but decided to answer it. "What are you talking about? I am not going anywhere." The monster growled, saying, "So, the talk in the Netherworld is true, you are a traitor to your brethren. I had no idea Trigon's daughter was such a brat. If you will not go willingly, I will take you!" It lunged toward Raven, its talons opened wide to grab her. She only stared in horror, unsure of what to do. Just as she was about to repulse the monster with her soul-self, Beastboy jumped up, grabbing the creature by the throat in his wolf form. He bit down hard, and tore at the monster's throat. Blue blood oozed everywhere, and Beastboy suddenly froze. He released the monster, and turned back into a human, screaming in agony. The monster stood, clutching its wounded neck. "Curious," it said. "The green one has demonic blood in him? No, it is something else… But why did he react like that to my blood? What a strange phenomenon…" It shifted its attention back to Raven. "Heed my words Halfling! Your twenty first birthday approaches! At that time, you will experience the Awakening, and all you know will be consumed. You should have followed me, but now you will pay for your defiance!" With a savage roar, the monster unleashed a crimson and black soul-self, which wrapped about the monster, sending him back to his infernal home.

"Beastboy!" Raven yelled as she hovered over to her screaming friend. She placed a hand on his head, and sent calming waves of magic through him. He gradually quieted, and then fell over in a slump.

"Beastboy, are you alright?" Nightwing asked as he walked over. Beastboy sat up, shaking his head. He swallowed a few times, trying to keep down his dinner, before finally answering. "Considering the fact that I'm nineteen now, I think I need a new codename. Beastboy worked when I was an adorable kid, but the ladies won't take me seriously if I'm called that now, will they?" He grinned up at his teammates. Cyborg looked down at him and said, "OK, what do we call you then green genes?" Gar thought a moment and finally said, "I haven't thought of that…" Cyborg laughed, Nightwing shook his head, Raven huffed, and Starfire chuckled. They all headed back to the tower. Beastboy stayed behind again, looking at a puddle of the blue demon blood. Raven was watching him. "Coming?" she asked in her usual monotone.

Gar stared a moment longer, considering the strange reaction to the blood. He would never tell his team what happened inside his mind. They would become too suspicious. "Yea, let's go home." He turned into a raven and took off, flying ahead to catch up to Nightwing and Starfire.

Raven watched her friend take off. She didn't like what the creature had told her. Another birthday that would end badly. Just what she needed. She headed back to the tower.

Once they were all back, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg all went to get some more sleep before waking in a few hours. Raven went and got a book, and then sat down at the couch, reading. She paused when she noticed Beastboy was still in the main room, watching her. "What are you staring at?" she asked him, just the slightest hint of curiosity coloring her neutral tone. Beastboy shrugged, and said, "You don't really have good birthdays, do you?" Raven thought a moment. Since her sixteenth birthday where the prophecy of her destroying the earth came true, she's had fairly good birthdays. Sure, each year something would go wrong, but it was usually something humorous. Now that she thought about it, the humorous moments always involved Beastboy. Last year, he tried to jump out of a vegan cake he had made her, only to get shot by Starfire (he surprised her more than he surprised Raven). The year before that, Beastboy had made her a book of his best jokes (she secretly loved it, but would never tell a soul). Seeing as he literally made the book, he showed up to her party covered in glue, glitter (the herpes of the art world, in Raven's opinion), random paper, and his hair was hot glued. He had to be shaved, and Raven was only too happy to cut his hair off. And the year before that, Beastboy tried decorating by himself. They found him hanging from the ceiling by a purple streamer.

"Actually, with the exception of my sixteenth, I've enjoyed all my other birthdays." Raven informed him. He smiled, and said, "Aren't you tired?" She turned the page, saying, "No, aren't you?"

Beastboy walked over to the couch, setting down a fresh mug of herbal tea for Raven. "Naw, once I'm awake, I can't go back to sleep." He looked at the book she was reading, _"Iter Itineris de Dionysus." _ Not understanding, he asked, "Whatcha reading?" Raven paused for a moment and looked at Beastboy. She saw the mug and said, "Is that for me?" Beastboy nodded and she said, "Thank you, taking the mug with a hint of a smile. She continued, "It's a book about a god. It means, "The journey of Dionysus, and tells the tale of the ancient god Dionysus as he traveled through Europe and Asia. It also serves as a spell book, as the magic of the god is written down in here." Beastboy smiled and said, "Cool! Wasn't Dionysus the god of wine?" Raven frowned and corrected, "Not just wine, but he represented joy and freedom. Escape from inhibitions… He was emotion." Raven left off on a sad note. Beastboy picked up. "And for someone who isn't allowed emotions, reading about them is the next best thing?" Raven gave him a half smile and said, "Almost. I can still sense emotions in others you know." Beastboy stopped smiling and said, "I do know. Hey, can I read with you?" Raven lifted an eyebrow and said, "Do you know Greek and Latin?" Beastboy rubbed the back of his head and said, "Hehe… no…" She closed her book, went to her room, and returned with another book. "This one is in English," She said, sitting back down on the couch and taking another sip of tea. Beastboy looked at the title. "_Demons, Witches, and Monsters?" _ Raven nodded. "Perhaps I will find a clue about this whole 'Awakening' business. Even if I don't, this is an interesting read." Raven sat back, and opened the book. After a moment, she said, "Well? I thought you wanted to read?" Beastboy grinned, turned into the most adorable cat he could think of, and curled up next to Raven, his large eyes darting across the page.

"I'm not slowing down for you, so keep up." Raven said. Beastboy nodded, and resumed reading.

After a time, Beastboy's eyes grew heavy, and he curled up into a ball to sleep. Raven unconsciously began to pet his soft fur, and he let out a low, rhythmic purring. The purring and the warmth finally managed to lull Raven back to sleep as well.

**A/N: Well, I have began a new attempt at an actual fanfic. So far, this is the crappiest writing I've ever done. Please, critique the crap out of this to help me improve. It annoys me, but it is necessary.**

**Review please, and I hope you enjoy this. I will try to update soon.  
**


	2. Chapter 2: Eve of the Awakening

**A/N: You all know I dont own Teen Titans. If I did, I'd hire a number of you to write episodes for me. Anywho, Many millions of thankses to my reviewers, Wolfenstein, Taken to Loneiness, and Arroiuqlu Schiffer. You guys all inspired me to update much faster than I normally would. Also, despite not being among my reviewers, I give much thanks to Chico's Chica Magnifica, who helped kick my arse back in gear, and to Mangopoptarts for the same reason... and also for giving me a fun name to yell at my cat when she misbehaved. I believe the whole thing went, "Curse you Kitty! (yes, my cat's name is Kitty) Stop acting as innocent and delicious sounding as a mango pop tart! you know I dont like dead mice on the clean floor! those go in the present box!" Anywho, ON TO THE NEW CHAPTER!**

**Once again, I thank my aforementioned reviewers. You all make life worth living... or at least make this story worth posting lol.  
**

The next few weeks passed without much incident. Other than the occasional villain, the Titans were having an easy time of things. Cyborg was working for S.T.A.R Labs part-time, using his tech skill learned from his father to develop new security systems. Nightwing was back in college, learning more about business to be prepared to take over Wayne Industries. Starfire was working as a model after being discovered by a photographer one day at the "mall of shopping." Even Gar was doing something. In this case, he was taking a few college classes, at the insistence of his adoptive father, Steve Dayton. After accidentally walking into a philosophy class, Gar decided he enjoyed the subject, and consequently declared a philosophy major. This surprised Raven greatly, but she agreed to lend Gar several of her own books on the subject, including "_Sophie's World", "Nausea", _and _"The Dialogues of Plato."_ Never before had she seen Beastboy immerse himself in a novel so completely. He reminded her of… herself.

Raven, on the other hand, was getting more and more stressed. She found no information on this "Awakening" anywhere, and this worried her. As her birthday approached, she became more reclusive and moody, often snapping at her other teammates, and locking herself away for hours at a time, often going full days without food. Finally, there was only one day left before her twenty first birthday, and Gar had been paying attention to her eating habits, or lack of them.

Having just lost a race against Cyborg (some things never change), Gar said to his team, "Hey, has anyone seen Raven today?" The others thought a moment, and Nightwing said, "Nope." Cyborg also said no, and Starfire said, "I haven't seen much of Raven for at least a week, now that I think about it. Friend Beastboy, do you know anything of her reclusive behavior?" Gar shook his head no, and then said, "I'm gonna try and bring her some food, I'm pretty sure she hasn't been eating." Cyborg huffed and said, "Ya know man, I think this is just an excuse to not lose another game. First it's, 'I'm gonna bring Rae some food', and then it's, 'Hey Cy, I can't play, my bones are all broken from buggin' Raven." Gar smirked at his friend and said, "Not to worry Cy, I'm a lot faster than before. I think I can dodge anything she has to throw at me." With that Gar stood up, and prepared a cup of herbal tea and some miso soup with tofu cubes. He put the food on a serving tray and went up to Raven's room.

On his way, he noticed it was already 5:30 p.m. He should have brought her food sooner. Mentally slapping himself for procrastinating with games, Gar sped up, and found himself in front of Raven's room. Balancing the tray on one hand, he very gently knocked on her door, trying to lessen the annoyance of the knock as much as possible. Raven answered instantly with a harsh, "WHAT?" Gar flinched back a moment and then said, "Hey Rae, I brought you some soup and herbal tea… I noticed you haven't been eating." The door opened slightly, showing one amethyst eye gleaming in the semi-darkness. She glanced at the soup and then opened all the way, saying, "Come in Beastboy." He happily obliged, walking in slowly to balance the tray. Raven sat down on her bed, but Gar remained standing. Raven gave an exasperated sigh, and said, hand me the tray and sit down!" Gar did as he was told, thought he was beginning to get hurt by her harsh demeanor.

Raven sensed this, and brushed her hand through her hair, sighing again. "Beastboy, I'm sorry for being so on edge lately, and for snapping at you just now… Birthday prophecies tend to put me in a bad mood." While she spoke in her usual deadpan monotone, Gar heard a hint of humor at the last part. He gave her a smile and said, "No need to apologize, I understand. Any luck finding out about the Awakening?" Raven clenched her jaw shut, biting back any cruel words she might say. She instead said, "Barely. I have found small traces in my books. More often than not, it is simply a brief mention, but no information about the Awakening itself. Usually it will be something like, 'and Valefor became the demon of wisdom, after the Awakening. The most interesting mention is, 'Trigon rose to incredible power after his Awakening, revealing his true form of hatred and rage. His power was so immense, he easily conquered a dimension, and his presence was felt in many other parallel universes." Gar looked at the large books and said, "Why don't you take a break to eat, and I can read for a bit?" Raven glanced up at him, relief evident on her face for only a moment before being suppressed into her normal blank stare.

"No offense Beastboy, but you wouldn't understand anything you were reading, and you aren't as fast as me." Raven said with a frown. Gar smirked and said, "I managed to grasp Plato's concept of the Forms, and the allegory of the cave. Besides, when you weren't paying attention I've been… 'Borrowing' some of your basic magic books and reading up on it… Hehe.. Don't be mad?" Raven stared, and then let out a small chuckle before agreeing. She handed him the book she was currently on, and eagerly grabbed the soup. After inhaling a few bites, she paused to enjoy the flavor. "Beastboy, this is really good. What are the little white cubes?" Gar grinned widely and said, with a slight chuckle to his voice, "Its tofu!" Raven froze mid-chew for a moment, and then slowly continued. "Tofu's good." She said after swallowing. Gar laughed, and then said, "Maybe you are just really hungry." Raven nodded, and took a sip of tea before continuing. Gar read in silence for a bit, and then started flipping pages. He finally got to something that caught his attention. A poem, titled "_Heritage of the Demons."_

It read:

As we age our powers grow,

Waiting to ripen before they show.

After one and twenty years we see,

Keepers hold is gone from thee.

Every demon knows the feel,

Near the time to break the seal.

Gar gave Raven a huge smile and said, "I think I found something!" Raven stopped sipping tea) her soup was long gone), and scurried over to Gar. She looked at the page and said, "This is interesting. But what does it mean?" Gar frowned and said, "You tell me what you thing first." Raven reread it and said, "It sounds like I get new powers, but other than that, the poem makes no sense." Gar nodded, and said, "Rae, you look tense. You've been working crazy hard, how about a shoulder rub?" Raven glared for a moment before saying, "Ok, just for a little. And If I don't like it, I'm throwing you out the window." Gar smiled even more at this, and quickly reached over. He started rubbing the knots out of Raven's shoulders and neck, making sure not to squeeze too hard.

Raven almost melted at the first touch. She didn't realize how stressed and tense she was until Beastboy began massaging her. His warmth soothed her cramped muscles, and that along with the food and tea was starting to put her to sleep. "_He's really good with his hands…" _At this thought, Raven snapped out of the almost-trance, sitting bolt upright. Beastboy quickly withdrew, alarmed at her sudden tenseness. She moved away without a word, using her powers to put away the books. Gar frowned and said, "Rae, are you ok?" She could sense the concern in his mind, but his emotions were quickly quieted. She didn't know he could do that.

Instead of answering, Raven said, "You know what Beastboy? I have always liked that you call me Rae. To everyone else, I'm Raven, but you were never so creeped out by me that you didn't try to be a friend. You always felt comfortable enough with me to call me Rae, and I've always liked hearing you say it…" Gar was shocked, but Raven continued. "And I am only telling you this because we do not yet know what will happen tomorrow. And should I happen to go all crazy evil, or attempt to destroy the world, I just wanted you to know that." Gar smiled and said, "Since we are on the topic of names, can you do me a favor?" Raven looked at him questioningly. "Can you maybe call me Gar instead of Beastboy? Beastboy feels too… juvenile." Raven smirked.

"And Gar would be short for…?" She asked

Gar gave her a fake death glare before mumbling, "…Garfield..." He then turned into a fat tabby cat before hopping onto her pillow and kneading it with his claws. He curled up there and stuck his tongue out at her. Raven started laughing, but hid it behind her hand as best she could. Gar smiled, until he was blown off the pillow by her powers. "I'm sorry... Gar. I didn't mean to do that." Gar stood up, now back in his human form, and said, "S'ok. Just hit my head on the way down. Hearing you laugh was more than worth it though, so no big." She gave him a smile and said, "Would _you _do _me _a favor now?"

Gar smiled and said, "Anything for you Rae." She blushed at this and, thanking the darkness of her room, said, "Can you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone when… whatever is going to happen happens. Gar nodded and helped her back to the bed. "Get some rest Rae, you need it. I'll wake you before midnight." She smiled at him again before curling up on her bed. "Thanks Gar. By the way, when did you learn to hide your emotions?" Gar grinned and said, "A while ago. I figured, since you can feel other people's emotions, I wouldn't want to bother you with my jumpy emotions, so I learned to suppress them." Raven thought his reasoning odd, but said, "Ok then." With that, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

**A/M: The "M" is for "Moat." Anyway, not much happening here except a sad attempt at semi romance between the young couple. No worries, the next chapter will be much more exciting. STUFF HAPPENS THAT WILL LEAVE MANY PEOPLE SAYING STUFF LIKE, "OH DANG!"**


	3. Chapter 3: A new form

Gar watched Raven sleep for several hours. In that time, he reflected on how her attitude toward him had changed in the years they had been together. When they first met, she was sarcastic, shy, and at times, downright hostile. Over time though, she had become more tolerant of the changeling. Gar wondered if that was due to the fact that he had matured quite a bit in the five years they had been together, or if Raven herself was simply more tolerant. He decided it must be a bit of both. He smiled when Raven fidgeted slightly, mumbling a bit of nonsense. Around 11:30 pm, Gar gently shook Raven awake. She groggily sat up, and then looked at Gar.

"What time is-" Raven began, before her eyes widened in horror. She jumped out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom. Gar followed her, and saw her bent over the toilet. He ran over and held her hair up for her while she vomited. He gently rubbed her back, concern etched on his features, while he waited for her to finish. Finally, the vomiting subsided, and Raven spat in the toilet a few times before flushing.

"Umm… I don't feel so good." Raven said in her neutral tone. Gar couldn't help but smile at the absurdity of the comment, its delivery, and Raven's blank face as she said that. She raised an eyebrow, and Gar quickly said, "I'm not laughing at you… It's just you were cute when you said that. Raven blushed lightly but said, "Your joking comes at the worst times." Gar chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Yea hehe… joking…" He helped Raven back to her bed, and asked, "So, what was that?" Raven frowned and said, "I've been feeling more and more nauseous as my birthday approached, and it's reached its peak now." Gar nodded, and sat down with her. A few minutes more passed with no incident.

Suddenly, Raven clutched her stomach, letting out a pained grunt, and fell to the floor. "RAVEN!" Gar yelled as he saw her in such obvious agony. He looked around, wondering what to do as tears streamed down her face. He saw the clock now read 11:58 pm. Two more minutes till Raven's birthday…

"Gar." Raven said in a ragged voice. Gar looked toward her, ready to do whatever she asked. "Run." When he didn't, she then yelled, "NOW!" She pushed him out the window with her soul-self, and then collapsed back on the floor.

Gar would not so easily be denied however, and he flew back up in fly form so he wouldn't get caught. Once back on the window sill, Gar only saw Raven for a few moments before her room exploded in black and white light. Gar was blinded by the darkness, yet he could still make out Raven slowly rising from her fetal position. Red markings started appearing on Raven's body as Gar watched, distressed that he couldn't do anything to help. The darkness flowed out of the hole in the window. Gar watched it as it snaked its way out into the night. The void of Raven's powers was darker than the night, creating areas of pure darkness. Suddenly, it withdrew, absorbing back around Raven. She was now a silhouette of shadow. Gar hopped into her room, cautiously approaching.

Just as he was about to touch Raven, four red eyes snapped open and a force wave pushed Gar away. "_This is really bad,_" Gar thought to himself as the darkness slowly absorbed into Raven's skin. When it was fully absorbed, Gar's mouth dropped in shock at what he saw.

What stood before him bore some similarities to Raven, and many more to the bird she was named after. It didn't look like she wore any clothes, but at the same time she didn't look naked either. Her skin was now blackened and shiny, like armor. Around her shoulders, on her arms and around her lower legs were sleek feathers, making her look like she had spines growing out. Her hands were clawed now, and she had cloven feet like her father. The similarities did not end there. Her mouth now had vampire-like fangs, and she now had four red eyes, which were currently locked on Gar in a furious glare. Her once-silky violet hair was now sleek feathers, and two small curved horns grew backward, following her hair. Most noticeable was her hooded cloak was now gone, replaced by a large pair of black feathered wings, which slowly unfurled and then closed, falling around Raven like a cape.

"R-Raven?" Gar stammered out. Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked at him differently.

"Gar… The Awakening is complete. I understand it all now."

**A/N: REVIEW PLEASE! I HUNGER! So, seeing that I wanted to leave it on a cliffhanger, the super awesome La Vixen de Amor told me to just cut out the last two sentences. Simple fix, and now it works so much better! Thanks to my prior reviewers, in no particular order, **

**La Vixen de Amor: My newest reviewer! Also gave me help with the cliffhanger... and your review has prompted me to update!  
**

**Chico's Chica Magnifica: Glad you enjoyed my attempts at mild fluff and humor. Please keep reading... I need the life blood of your reviews!**

**Cuervos Bestia: I thank ye for giving me criticism, it helps improve my writing.**

**Wolfenstien: Two reviews from you! I am pleased... :D**

**Arroiuqlu Schiffer: Even though your name is just Ulquiorra backwards, I have a hard time writing it. Lol. thanks or your review.**

**Taken To Loneiness: Thanks for thinking my writing is good, I do hope you keep reading!**

**Mangopoptarts: Havent reviewed, but I like you, so yea.  
**

**Last but certainly not least, special thanks to CMK Jam-Sam. Fellow review Vampires UNITE! also ye be funny and your super upbeat attitude helped make me write fast.  
**

**And finally, I thank my brain for the idea, and I lament the fact that this chapter was short. If anyone wants more detail for Raven's new form, just ask, I explain more.**

**Love, peace, and chicken grease!  
**


	4. Chapter 4: Magic and Secrets

Raven took a few steps toward Gar, a large smile showing off her new fangs. Gar crawled back away from her until his back hit the wall. He wasn't scared; he could never be truly scared of Raven. However, he was very surprised and wary, unsure of what to make of all this. Raven saw his eyes darting back and forth, trying to be fully aware of his surroundings in case he needed to fight or escape. The smile dropped from her face as she noticed his reaction.

"Gar… What are you doing?" Raven asked. He looked at her quizzically and said, "Raven? Is that you?" Raven frowned, and answered, "No, I'm the tooth fairy." Gar looked at her for a moment before he started laughing at her comment. He stopped, realizing something.

"Uhh… Rae? You don't really look like yourself." All four of her eyes widened in surprise. Before she could say anything, Gar said, "Look at me Rae." She obliged. He walked over to her, and put his hands on her face. She flinched, but then allowed the contact. "Whatever you look like on the outside, I know you are still Rae on the inside." At this statement, she pulled back.

"Gar, what are you..." She looked at her hands, now black and clawed, like a raven's claws. "Oh Azar, what is this?" She looked at the rest of her body, noting the new feathers and armored carapace. She felt her head, screaming when she realized she now had four eyes and a set of horns. She ran to the bathroom, and saw herself completely for the first time. When she saw herself in the mirror, she panicked, punching her reflection and shattering the mirror.

"Trigon damn me! I've become a demon!" She screamed, exiting the bathroom in tears. She saw Gar looking at her with wide eyes, worried, but in her panicked state, she misconstrued his facial expression for fear or pity. She covered her face in shame, and jumped out of the open window, spreading her new wings and flying away.

"Raven, wait!" Gar screamed as he jumped out of the window, changing into a peregrine falcon mid fall. He flew as hard as he could, but could barely keep up with Raven's new form. Gar tracked her flight as far as he could, and then turned into a turkey vulture, tracking her by scent. He instantly locked onto her familiar smell; herbal tea, old books, and a hint of lavender. He flew as hard as the vulture form allowed him.

For several hours, gar tracked Raven's scent, growing increasingly frustrated as it began to lessen. He finally tracked her to the area where, many years ago, Raven was used as a portal to unleash Trigon upon this world. Now, an unfinished office building stood in its place. Gar changed into a bat, scanning the construction site with echolocation. He mentally cheered when he finally found her high up on the steel girders. He flew up to her position, changing back into a human several feet away. He slowly approached her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the contact, hissing up at him, but then stopped when she saw who it was. Gar didn't say a word; he just threw his arms around her. She sobbed into his shoulder, returning the hug.

"I should have expected this." Raven said, clenching her teeth at the sound of her distorted voice. "Nothing good ever happens to me." Gar shook his head, pulling back to look at her tearstained face. "So, joining the Titans wasn't good? Defeating Trigon wasn't good?" He smirked before saying, "Throwing me out the window wasn't good?" Raven gave a half smile before saying, "I can't go back to the tower looking like this. The others will never accept it." Gar gave her an angry look before saying, "Since when do you care about physical appearances? And since when do the others? I'm _green _for cryin' out loud! Cyborg's all robot-y, and Nightwing used to be a traffic light! Clearly appearances aren't a big thing for us."

Raven shook her head. "None of you are demons. I am, always have been, but now it's just more obvious." Gar sat thinking for a moment. "Rae, I just thought of something. You can't be a full demon, you are only half." Raven raised an eyebrow questioningly. Gar continued, "And before, when you just went all four-eyed, it never lasted long."

"You have a firm grasp of the obvious," Raven deadpanned. Gar smiled at her, and said, "Yea, and I also know you can turn back to a human." Raven's eyes widened briefly, but then she said, "I can't, this isn't like other changes. I don't know how to reverse it, and I have tried. It just isn't do-able." Gar shrugged and said, "You've never had to change back from something like this before." His face suddenly brightened and he said, "Rae, can you enter my mind, and allow me to enter yours? I need to control your body." Raven's eyes narrowed and she said, "What are you planning?" Instead of answering, Gar morphed into a snake, an owl, a raven, and then a cat, before changing back to normal, all in the span of a few seconds.

"Come on Rae, I'm _Beastboy_, changing into different things is my forte." Gar said. She relented, saying, "Alright, but this is a complex spell. We should go back to my room first." Gar smiled, about to say something when his communicator went off. He answered it, and Nightwing's face glared up at him.

"Beastboy! Where are you and Raven?" Nightwing shouted. Gar frowned at the still-uptight leader. "Relax_ Dick;_ me and Raven just went out for a bit." Nightwing raised an eyebrow. "Like, on a date?" He asked. Raven's eyes widened and she said, in a slightly flustered tone, "No Richard, we are not on a date. We simply went to a 24 hour waffle hut." Gar smiled at her, a slight blush on his cheeks, and said, "Yup! We were hungry, and Rae loves waffles! We'll be back in a bit though." Nightwing smiled at him and said, "Alright. I was just calling to let you know me and Kori are leaving early to go backpacking for a few days. So… Cy's in charge of the Tower. Don't give him too much trouble."

With that, Nightwing hung up, leaving Gar and Raven somewhat confused. "uhh"… Gar said, checking the time. His eyes shot wide open in surprise when he saw it was already 5:00am. "Damn, it's late! … Or... Early... We need to get home!" Raven grabbed Gar's hand and pulled him closer as she wrapped her wings around both of them. A void of darkness swallowed flowed out of Raven's soul, swallowing them both.

Moments later, they reappeared in Raven's room, the darkness retreating back into  
Raven's soul. Gar stepped forward, wobbling a bit. "Well... that was refreshing!" Gar smiled and sat down cross legged on the floor, waiting for Raven to continue. She huffed, saying, "Don't lie Gar, I know how that feels to others. Cold and frightening." Gar chuckled and said, "Not to me." Raven paused momentarily, and then continued plucking bottles off her shelves. When she was ready, she told gar to remain seated and not to move as she prepared the magic. She drew a circle around Gar using sparkling white sand she continued drawing, making an infinity symbol with Gar in one circle. She drew smaller circles with symbols inside of them. When she finished the drawing, she sat in her end of the infinity symbol.

"Alright Gar, we will begin shortly. Don't move or disturb the sand in any way." Raven warned him. Gar nodded, and then asked, "What is this stuff anyway?" Raven looked at the glittering sand and then said, "Demon bones. We are creatures of magic, so even our dead bodies can be salvaged for potent magic." Gar gave a subtle flinch, but didn't say anything.

"Want to say anything else before we begin?" Raven said, focusing on Gar's eyes. He smiled and said, "Even if this doesn't work, you have nothing to worry about, we will still accept you here." He smiled, but she snorted. "Sure Gar, everyone will be just fine with me. And when we go to save the city, all the people won't look at me like I'm pure evil. Yea, if this doesn't work, everything will be just peachy." Gar frowned, but then said, "I think it will be ok. You make a very beautiful demon." Raven would have blushed, but her current form didn't allow it. "Don't lie Gar, it's not helping."

"But I'm not lying! Your feathers are really shiny, and your wings make you look like a dark angel." He smiled, trying to cheer her up. Raven looked down, and then began chanting.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Redimio duos mens hac veneficus. Patefacio ianua in animus. amoveo vultus in unus. Addo mens in mei." The sand blazed bright white for a moment, and then a shadowy coil rose from it, snaking around Gar. It tightened around him, but all he felt was a brief tingling sensation before everything started swirling. Gar flew into the air, and then shot toward Raven's head. He did not hit, however. Instead, everything went dark for a moment before he lifted his head, staring at… himself. He tried to jump back, but couldn't.

_ "Relax Gar, your mind and soul are simply in my body with me. You can control me if I allow you. You can feel everything I feel. Now please, try and fix this." _Raven's voice sounded in Gar's mind. Gar focused on the new sensations, closing his/ Raven's eyes. He analyzed the change, and then smiled mentally. This form was very similar to his own changes, as he had hoped. As such, he knew exactly what to do to transform back into normal Raven.

"_Hey Rae?" _Gar thought. When he felt Raven acknowledge his presence, he continued, "_Pay close attention to what I am about to do, so you could change back and forth at will on your own." _ He focused briefly, and then felt the change happen. It was a bit different than when he changed, but the end result was the same. Magic erupted forth, wrapping Raven in a cocoon of energy. Without warning, Gar was hurled out of Raven's body, and thrust back into his own. As soon as he was back, he fell out of the circle, clutching his head in pain and screaming.

The demonic magic of Raven's transformation had touched Gar's body, awakening a part of him he thought was long gone. Roaring, growling and screaming as well as vicious pain burned through Gar's mind. The transformation flux from Raven was causing Gar to change, but the form he was turning into was not one he wanted to be released. Just as he was about to be overwhelmed, the magic from Raven dissipated, and Gar quickly fixed himself before Raven could see what happened. She stood up, looking down at her now-human body. A huge smile spread across her face, and she ran over to Gar, hugging him.

"Thank you for your help Gar. I'm so glad that wasn't a permanent change… why are you so clammy? And why are you shaking?" Gar looked up to her, giving her a small smile. "I messed up the sand… maybe that did it?" Raven wasn't convinced, but she let go and stood up, helping Gar to his feet. Gar gave her a smile, still holding her hand, and then he glanced down.

Whoa… Umm Rae? The changes aren't done." Gar said, blushing fiercely. He quickly looked away. "What do you mean?" Raven said, looking down at herself. Her eyes widened in shock, and she said, "Now this one was expected." She had grown curvier; her breasts and hips fuller than before. "Damnit," she said. "Demons… develop human forms that have the highest chance of producing a successful mating… This is why Trigon was considered to be a god. He revealed to his followers a glorious form which they thought only a god could possess. All demons, even half demons, develop into what is widely considered physically perfect specimens…" She sighed, but was too happy to be back in her human form to worry about it too much.

Gar thought to change the subject into less awkward territory. "So Rae, what did that weird riddle mean?" Raven looked up to him, giving him a small smile. She recited,

"As we age, our powers grow. 'We' being demons and and half-demons. Our powers get stronger as we age. Waiting to ripen before they show means that we only reveal our new power on our twenty first birthdays, as seen in the next line. After one and twenty years we see, Keepers hold is gone from thee. This line made me very happy. The 'Keeper' was Trigon. You see, the children of demons, whether they be half or full demons, are under the control of their sire until we reach the age of Awakening. Trigon's influence has been lifted for good." Raven paused here, giving Gar a smile that could rival his own. "I'm finally free to show emotion." She looked away and said, "Every demon knows the feel, near the time to break the seal. Basically, I've been feeling more and more sick because of the Awakening. Which is why I vomited earlier. I'm fine now though." Gar smiled at her, and then helped her back to bed. Now that all the excitement was over, Gar felt massive exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks. He could see that Raven felt the same way.

"Come on Rae, time to sleep for a bit. You've been through a crazy ordeal." She nodded, yawning widely. She allowed Gar to help her into bed. He watched her until she fell asleep. He tucked her in, and when he was sure she was deeply asleep, he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Sleep tight Rae…" He walked quietly out of her room after cleaning it up for her, and then headed for his room. He got to the bed and collapsed heavily, falling asleep instantly.

**A/N: Ok, Im sorta happy with this, sorta not. PLEASE REVIEW SO I MAY HAVE THE POWER TO WRITE MORE!**

**Also, many thanks to all my prior reviewers. to that list, I would like to add K-Flyer, AkumaKami64, and La Vixen de Amor.**

**so the whole list would be Cuervos Bestia, Chico's Chica Magnifica, CMK Jam-Sam, Wolfenstien, Arroiuqlu Schiffer, Yin-Yan-Yum-Yum (interesting name change), and the three new people. THANK YOU ALL! I hope that my story continues to entertain you, for it is for you glorious readers and reviewers that I attempt to write something you, I would just stop. **

**In the next chapter! stuff happens.  
**


	5. Chapter 5:Raven's Birthday part I

**Disclaimer: I own the Teen Titans. And all Titans related paraphernalia. Only a small number of you have my permission to write fanfics. BTW, if you are wondering why I am writing fanfics, its because I am not a comic writer, I just own the Titans. I managed to get ownership by hostile takeover of a portion of DC comics. I'm a lucky beast. In fact, It was my idea to replace Felicia Henderson with J.T. Krul as head writer for Titans. You're welcome.**

**See if you can spot all the references!**

**This is a filler chapter of sorts. The next chapter will be much better. lots of action. and finally, Gar's affliction will be fully revealed. Sorry, I know I promised answers in this chapter, but it turned out too long.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers. Out of laziness, I wont do a list (its getting too long.) You know who you are, and I greatly appreciate you guys taking your time to let me know what you think of my story. Makes me happy and motivates faster updating. Anyway, thanks very much, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter. I honestly wouldnt mind if you guys skipped over this one. lol.  
**

When Gar finally woke up the next day, the first thing he did was yawn, turn into a cat and stretch, and then check his clock. He jumped when he saw that he had slept in till almost 3:00pm. He scrambled to get some clean clothes, and he ran to take a quick shower before heading out into the Titans' living room.

All the others were awake except Raven. Richard and Kori were on the couch watching a movie. It took Richard a long time, but he finally got used to being out of his secret identity among his friends. Cyborg was in the kitchen, cooking some disturbingly large amount of meat. Gar noticed that Kori had already decorated everything for Raven's birthday. There were purple and black streamers, balloons, and other such party paraphernalia artistically scattered around the tower. A large "happy birthday" banner hung over the large windows. Gar smiled at the decorations, remembering he had a cake to make. He would get to it later.

"Yo BB, about time you woke up. What were you doing last night?" Cyborg asked while dousing his food in BBQ sauce. Gar froze at the question. "Uhm… I went out to a Rave? Yeah!" Cyborg raised his human eyebrow and Richard turned around and said, "I thought you and Raven went to that 24 hour waffle house?" Gar paled slightly, sweat forming on his forehead.

"Well, after we ate, Raven went to sleep, but I was so hyped up from syrupy sugar and such that I had to go dancing. Cuz I was so hyper! Form the sugar!" Gar said rather quickly. The other Titans were suspicious, but decided to drop it… for now. Gar went into the kitchen; trying to ignore the smell of old flesh as Cyborg began devouring his food. Gar began preparing a small plate of tofu when he finally said, "You know Vic, I can actually smell the rot on that meat." Vic froze, and looked at Gar.

"Whadda ya mean green genes?" Vic asked, putting the meat down. Gar smirked and said, "Well, when you buy meat from the store, usually it's been sitting for a while, or it's been shipped across the country or from places like China. So, it's actually already old by the time you get it. Dead things have a tendency to rot and smell bad, so before it's put out on shelves for customers, meat is usually drenched in bleach to kill bacteria and to rid the smell. It is then rinsed off to make sure the bleach doesn't poison the customer. So, you are eating rotting, bleached flesh." Vic froze in shock for a moment, and then continued slowly eating. Gar shook his head, and Vic said, "Hey, I've been eating it all this time, nothing bad happened. And if you don't remember, my stomach can handle the craziest things, so I'm gonna be fine."

After gar had his food ready, he ate it quickly, wanting to go find Raven. He decided to check if she ever left her room. "Hey, has anybody seen Raven today." Kori answered first, saying, "No, I have not seen friend Raven, though when I went to her room, I heard her meditating. Perhaps she needs some alone time?" Gar smiled at the alien. "Thanks Star." He got up; put his plate in the sink, and made a beeline straight to Raven's room.

As he neared, he could hear Raven chanting her mantra over and over. Knowing she did not like to be rudely interrupted, Gar projected happiness to alert her to his presence. The chanting stopped. Gar was still ten feet away. As he aged, he noticed his senses became even stronger, which was both a blessing and a curse. As his hearing became more sensitive, he became quieter, but only slightly. He continued to the door, and politely knocked. Raven soon opened and dragged Gar inside, slamming the door shut.

"Uh… Hi Rae." Gar said, surprised by his friend's behavior. Raven gave him a small smile and said, "Gar, I have a big problem." Gar had already guessed, and said, "You need to find a way to explain your new look to the rest of the Titans." Raven nodded, and said, "I've been here meditating since around eleven. I just don't know how to explain this" she gestured to her curvier body, "to any of them. I look like I've had too many implants!" Raven sat on her bed, a defeated look on her face. Gar sat next to her and said, "You don't look like that at all. Yea, you have a bit more… padding, but you don't look like you have implants. Implants look different and fake, you look natural. Don't worry Rae, you're beautiful." She blushed profusely at this statement and simply nodded.

"I have an idea!" Gar shouted, standing up. "Bear with me now…. What if we simply tell them the truth? They will understand, and not have any problems with it! Over the many years we've all been together, we've shared secrets, embarrassing stories, and much more. Seriously, compared to some of the unbelievable craziness we have dealt with, this is nothing new. Besides, remember when Kori was going through that Tamaranean change? She looked a billion times nastier than your demon form… Which isn't nasty at all! You look like a dark angel more than you look like a demon. I say we tell them!"

Raven thought to herself and said, "Would you help me?" Gar eagerly nodded, saying, "Of course I would Rae. Anything for you." Then Gar turned away, thinking, "_Rae could tell the others about her problem, but if I mentioned what's going on with me, it'd be the Beast incident all over again. Locked up, everyone suspicious of me… best to keep quiet, for now." _Raven picked up on his change in emotions, and she said, "What's wrong Gar? You are feeling very anxious." Gar turned and gave her a charming smile, saying, "Oh, nothing to worry about. Just planning out your birthday surprises and all." Raven smiled, saying, "You know I don't like surprises Gar." He smirked, saying, "don't worry, you will like these ones." He ran over, grabbed her hand and dragged her out of her room.

They began walking quickly down the hall, Raven struggling to keep up with her excited friend. When they reached the living room doors, Gar stopped and said, wait here till I get you, ok?" He waited, staring into her deep amethyst eyes. She nodded slowly, and both of them blushed when they realized they were still holding hands. "Uhhmm… I'll be right back." Gar said quickly. He gently dropped her hand, and ran through the door. A few moments later, he said, "Ok Rae, come in!" She obliged and was shocked at what she saw.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The Titans yelled when Raven entered. Their yells were quickly stifled as they saw the changes that took place overnight. Shocked silence fell over the group, no one knowing how to continue. Richard and Cyborg were too embarrassed to mention that they noticed the changes and Kori wasconfused by the reactions of her teammates as much as she was by the changes in Raven. Gar quickly stepped forward, putting his hand on Raven's elbow and gently pulling her forward.

"Well my fellow Titans, from the awkwardness of the room, I surmise you all noticed that Raven looks a bit different. To give you all a real fast rundown, a new facet of Raven's powers has surfaced, causing the change you all see. The good news is we don't have to worry about Trigon anymore, and Rae can show more emotion now!" Gar said rather quickly. He looked to Raven, whispering, "Want to take it from here?" She nodded and stepped forward. "What Gar said is correct. Demons and half demons all go through a change, similar to when Kori had the whole chrysalis affair. It is called the Awakening." Raven continued, fully explaining the Awakening and her powers, as well as why the changes in her physical appearance happened. She couldn't help but hide under her hood when she explained this part. She purposefully left out the part about her new demonic form. She didn't want to scare them too much. After a few moments of tense silence, Richard stepped forward and said, "Ok then, as long as everything is alright, then we have no reason to be alarmed. You should just enjoy your party." He gave her a small smile at this.

She was touched by all the effort they put into decorating. Gar ran forward and said, "Ok, let's get this party started! Breakfast for lunch first, and then we can head for the movies, and then a few other places before heading back here for cake and ice cream!" Gar loved parties. Too much. He grabbed Raven's hand again, and dragged her over to the counter. Turning into a hummingbird, he flew over and shifted back to human. Turning to Raven, he asked, in a ridiculous French accent, "And what will you be having today mademoiselle?" Raven was a bit confused. "Uhh… Waffles? And eggs?" Continuing the French accent, Gar said, "Oui, a fine choice mon Cherie." Gar started cooking up the food quickly. Kori said, "I too would like the waffles please!" Gar winked at her, prepping more batter. Richard just began making himself a sandwich, and Vic said, "As long as it isn't that vegan stuff, I can go for some too." Gar smirked and said, "right-o chrome dome! Waffles for everyone!"

"Hey Raven, aren't you tired from waffles? Gar said you guys had a lot yesterday at the waffle hut." Richard asked, knowing now that this was a cover. Raven turned to look at him, a completely blank expression on her face. In an absolutely perfect monotone, Raven said, "My love for waffles burns brighter than a thousand stars, and I shall forever crave their delicious embrace." Richard was confused, but Gar picked up on the slight hint of amusement in her voice. Raven was joking. He laughed. Hard. The others looked at him. "What? It was funny!" Gar continued making food for the others, served them, and made himself a veggie and tofu egg omelette. When he was done, he sat next to Raven and started eating. She had already finished her waffles but hadn't touched her eggs. She looked at Gar's plate and uncharacteristically stole some of his omelette. She quickly ate it, chewing the tofu slowly. Jaws dropped as the Titans stared at her. Gar smirked as Raven let out a small "mmm." She swallowed and said, "That was delicious." Gar laughed again, and offered her more. She eagerly accepted, and he whipped himself up some more food.

"Hey Raven, why you aint eatin' your eggs?" Vic asked. She looked at him and said, "I'm not quite sure… the smell just isn't appealing to me right now. Could be a side effect of the Awakening…" Cyborg nodded and said, "Well, I'll take those eggs if you don't want them." Raven scooped them onto his plate, and they were gone in a flash. Richard and Kori were being very affectionate on their end, their food being long gone.

When all the Titans had finished eating, Gar shouted, "Alright guys and gals, get your civilian clothes out and lets go to the movies!" Vic put on his holo-ring and said, "Aw yea! Love new movies! What we watching? Cuz I kinda wanted to see that new joke movie about vampires." Kori flew forward and said, "Friends, did you know they made a movie about us? And are starting a comic book series?" The others stared in disbelief and Gar said, "That's strange… can they do that without our permission?" Richard stepped forward and said, "No they can't Gar. Don't worry, I authorized it. The Titans needed money." The others shrugged at this and Vic asked, "Who's producing the comic?" Gar jumped forward and said, "Yea, it better be a good brand." Richard raised his eyebrow and said, "DC." Gar jumped up, shouting, "YES! They're the best!"

"Back on movie topic." Raven suggested. Gar looked over at her and flashed a slightly devious smile. "Don't worry; I got us all tickets already for_ The Hyacinth House." _Raven's eyes widened slightly. "Gar, how did you know I wanted to see that?" Raven asked. He replied, "Cuz I know you too well Rae. A mystery/horror movie that happens to be directed by your favorite director, who I also happen to know, is J. Morrison. Signs point to you wanting to watch it." Raven glared slightly. "Have you been spying on me?" Gar grinned. "Maybe slightly. Truthfully, these damn ears are getting more sensitive, so I'm hearing more of what's going on in your rooms." Gar looked over to Richard and Kori, a devious look in his eye. They both blushed profusely at this not so subtle clue.

"Anyway, let's go!" Gar said, putting on his own holo–ring. The others went to quickly change. When they returned, Kori was wearing a tight tank top and jean shorts, with pink sandals. Richard wore a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans, with leather boots. Gar couldn't help but stare when Raven returned. She was wearing a black skirt, long, and a tight fitting long sleeved black shirt. Her longer hair was left to fall in luscious waves around her shoulders. Raven noticed the stare. "What?" Gar mentally shook himself and said, "Just a bit surprising to see you in civilian clothes, that's all. Off we go!" Gar ran to the garage, followed by Vic. Richard and Kori walked hand in hand towards Richard's motorcycle. Raven followed slowly behind. "_Gar has been a lot more caring lately… I wonder why that is? Does he like me, or is the Awakening doing something to him? Surely, after seeing my demon form, he couldn't like me… not after seeing that monster. But all those nice things he said… probably just to make me feel better. Gar has always been the nicest of us all." _Raven continued thinking such thoughts as she went to the garage.

When she got there, she saw Kori and Richard suited up for the motorcycle. Richard gave a nod to the others, signaling that he would meet them at the theatres, and then he took off with Kori in the back. Raven saw Gar holding the passenger seat door of the T-Car open. He looked at her, a light smile on his lips, and he swept his arm toward the seat. Raven stepped in and sat down, muttering thanks as her face heated. Gar gently but firmly closed the door, and sat himself in the back. Vic sat in the driver's seat and said, "Alright y'all hang on tight. Time to test the civilian camo." He pushed a button and the car was shrouded in a black BMW hologram. "Sweet!" Gar said. They took off quickly.

After several minutes of light conversation, the Titans found themselves at the theatres. Richard and Kori were holding each other in front o f the theatres, waiting for their teammates. Gar checked his watch after they parked, and he let out a small shout of shock as he noticed the time. "Come on, we're gonna be late!" He grabbed Raven's hand, pulling her along. Vic let out a laugh as he followed them. "_Those two better get together soon or I'm gonna smack that green bean upside the head!" _ Vic thought as they hurried along, laughing to himself. Vic thought as they hurried along, laughing to himself.

The movie turned out to be pretty amazing. Basically, an illegal gambling house called the Hyacinth house operated fine until a chain of murders began happening in its poker rooms. So the proprietor hired a detective named Leon to help solve it. Wherever Leon would go in the house, he would feel watched. During the course of the movie, Leon talked to a friend of his to help him figure out the case. Eventually, Leon finds Jack of Hearts symbols in the house, wherever a murder took place. By the end, it is revealed that Leon's friend is a figment of Leon's imagination, and Leon himself is the brutal killer of the Hyacinth house, suffering from dissociative identity disorder. So all in all, a pretty decent mindfuck.

"Damn, that was a crazy movie!" Gar said as they left the theatre. The others nodded in agreement. Raven spoke up. "I like how the director tried to bring in the idea of forgiving oneself to reach a state of peace." The others looked to her, and were surprised when Gar said, "Don't forget the coming of spring to symbolize rebirth and enduring peace. That was pretty cool. Very ahh… _Dionysian._ Gar gave Raven a big smile at that. She smiled back. "And since when you pay attention to subtlety?" Raven asked as they continued walking back to the car. Gar's smile shrank slightly, but he still looked quite happy. "Recent development." He answered. Gar checked his watch. "Hey Rae, Carpe Noctem is opening up for poetry night. That's your guys' next stop." The last part was for Vic. Raven looked confused. "You won't be joining us Gar?" He laughed, and said, "Come on Rae, me at a Goth club? Not a good mix. Anyway, I have some more birthday surprises to set up for you. With that, he turned into a raven and flew off toward the tower. Raven noticed Gar's chosen form, but before she could say anything, Vic said, "You heard green genes. Hop in!" Raven gave one last look to Gar's disappearing form before she stepped in.


	6. Chapter : Raven's Birthday part II

**Once more, I am the proud owner of Teen Titans. Bow to my glory. I put even more references in this chapter, so someone please get them!**

**Please dont hate me, but once again a proper explanation of Gar's condition is moved off to the next chapter... sorry. I just had way too much to write down.**

**Once again, a very sincere than you to all my reviewers. You guys are great, and make me super happy. I promise the next chapter will be a big sciency explanation of Beastboy's condition.**

**Now, I'm gonna go throw up. I just got done with a brutal 2 hour workout.  
**

Gar flew fast to the tower. He hated leaving on Raven's birthday, but the excitement of the previous night meant Gar hadn't made the cake yet. So he pumped his wings, feeling a burn building up in his chest and wings. He finally made it and bolted to the kitchen. _"Time to get to work." _Gar thought, getting out all the ingredients.

In the Goth club, Carpe Noctem, The Titans all sat in a corner booth. Amazingly, none of them were recognized as the super heroes they were. Although they did get plenty of stares, particularly Kori in her bright clothes. After they had gotten a few drinks (White Russian for Victor, Appletini for Kori, a Jack and Coke for Richard, and tea for Raven) one of the other regulars approached their booth.

"Hey Arella, your friends don't seem quite _dark_ enough for our little club. What are they doing here?" The strange youth asked Raven. She had told them all ahead of time that in the club, she used her mother's name, so none of the others were surprised. "It's my birthday, so I invited my friends to come to this poetry slam. Got a problem with that Johnny?" The young man, quite thin and psychotic-looking shrugged. Victor spoke up. "Yo man, what do you mean we aren't dark enough for the club? I'm black for chrissakes!" Johnny gave a small laugh at this. "I like your attitude friend of Arella." Richard couldn't help noticing what Johnny wore. Steel tipped, long leather boots, tight black pants, and a strange stripped shirt. On one side of the shirt was a smiling face, and the other had a question mark next to a "Z."

"Question sleep huh?" Richard said. He continued with, "Yea, I can see that. Because in wakefulness, we know what is there and real. But when we sleep, it all goes away into blackness or dreams. And how can we know what's real then? Where is the confirmation of what happened before? Is it all a dream?" Johnny smiled strangely at this and said, "Well Arella, I should have expected this. Your friends are fun. Ok, I will leave you guys alone. The Lizard King is up, he's always entertaining." With that, Johnny left the group, sitting closer to the stage with a pale woman dressed in dark clothing. She smiled when he put his arm around her, and the Titans barely heard him say, "Arella has some entertaining friends Devi…"

Richard let out a sigh. "Glad I read that guy right." At that moment, a young man approached the stage. He was wearing leather pants, and a white shirt. He had long, wavy hair, and his facial features were statuesque. He approached the microphone and said,

"Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as raven's claws." He deliberately looked at the titans when he said this, and then continued, "Hi everybody, you all know me. I usually have a poem to say or a song to sing, and usually it's about death, magic or fire." He walked back a little and said, "Today I'm doin things a bit different. I'd like to do something, a song or a piece of music that is just a pure expression of joy… A celebration of... uhh Existence. Like, the coming of spring or the sun rising, you know, pure unbounded joy, which I think we deny too often. So, bear with me my dark brethren, and listen." The strange man known as the Lizard King turned around and picked up a guitar. He began to play a few soft, somber notes. He spoke again. "Of course, I was joking before. Because everyone knows…" He began to sing, in a baritone voice that sounded like silk running through your mind,

This is the end  
Beautiful friend  
This is the end  
My only friend, the end  
Of our elaborate plans, the end  
Of everything that stands, the end  
No safety or surprise, the end  
I'll never look into your eyes...again  
Can you picture what will be  
So limitless and free  
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand  
In a...desperate land  
Lost in a Roman...wilderness of pain  
And all the children are insane  
All the children are insane  
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah  
The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on  
He took a face from the ancient gallery  
And he walked on down the hall  
He went into the room where his sister lived, and...then he  
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he  
He walked on down the hall, and  
And he came to a door...and he looked inside  
Father, yes son, I want to kill you  
This is the end  
Beautiful friend  
This is the end  
My only friend, the end  
It hurts to set you free  
But you'll never follow me  
The end of laughter and soft lies  
The end of nights we tried to die  
This is the end

He stepped off the stage, putting on a pair of mirrored lenses before he left. It was quite a performance.

In the tower, Gar was furiously cooking up a storm. He set the cake to cool off before he could add the frosting. He then also checked the ice cream, taking out of deep freeze so it could be soft enough to serve when they all got back.

Raven was enjoying herself, wishing that Gar could have been there also, though he might have gotten them kicked out of the club. Just as a slightly less amazing poet was getting onstage, a loud explosion rocked the building. As people started panicking, the Titans simply looked at each other. Richard nodded, and Raven teleported them out. The Titans had gotten used to this sort of thing interrupting normal activities, though Raven was still miffed that an emergency happened on her birthday. They all dressed into their uniforms, and Richard, now Nightwing, said, "Ok team; let's see what's going on now. Cyborg, call Beast Boy and tell him to get here ASAP. Raven and Starfire, let's go!" With that the Titans ran (Or flew) out of the alleyway, running back toward the source of the explosion.

Gar was just getting the finishing touches done when his communicator went off. "What's up?" he asked the grim image of Victor. Cyborg sighed and said, "We got trouble. Get to the Carpe Noctem club right away. Cyborg out." With that, the screen blanked. Gar sighed and put on his uniform. Right before he morphed to go, an overwhelming wave of nausea hit him, and he threw up a bit on the floor. A headache followed, but he shrugged it off. His friends needed him. Raven needed him. This thought drove Beast Boy out the window in the form of a peregrine falcon. He needed speed.

The scene was familiar. Destruction and creatures. Three of them, one of which was the demon they had fought before. When he saw Raven approaching, he chuckled. "Daughter of Trigon, you have Awakened. Do you feel the compulsion to join your demonic brethren?" In answer, Raven hurled a piece of rubble at the monster's face. It collided hard, leaving a smattering of blood in the street. The demon seemed only slightly phased. "I see." It said. "Clearly you have been tainted by humans. Trigon did not raise his daughter well, though several others of his progeny were more competent. Very well, we of the demon world have no use for a defect." Turning to his comrades, the demon said, "Kill them all." With that, the monsters rushed forward, the main one going for Raven. He was repulsed by a sonic cannon, while the other two were hit by starbolts and birdarangs.

The main demon seemed only interested in Raven. So, after several grunts and snarls, the demons picked their opponents. The leader went straight for Raven, while a large red demon with a lion's head and mane, goat feet, chiropteran wings, and large black bull horns went for Nightwing and Starfire. Cyborg tried helping Raven, but a demon with a spider lower body and a female upper body blocked his path. She smirked and said, "Where are you going handsome? Trigon's seed has a playmate. Don't you want to play with me?" the she-demon asked teasingly, swaying her body in a seductive manner. If not for the disgusting arachnid parts, Cyborg might have been swayed by her beauty, for the upper part was incredibly alluring. Unfortunately, Cyborg was focusing on the spider part. With a yell of fear (Cyborg, it turns out, is arachnophobic), Cyborg blasted the she-demon with a very powerful blast of white sound. The impact sent her into a building, screaming in agony.

"Booyah! That's how you squish a spider!" Cyborg yelled, pumping his fist in the air triumphantly. Unfortunately, the spider was not done. With a roar, she sprayed web at him. "_This is not good,"_ Cyborg thought as he struggled for freedom.

Starfire and Nightwing were having no better luck with their demon. The hulking behemoth, it turned out, could breathe fire. Nightwing was singed slightly, but his years of acrobatics had given him amazing agility, so he was mostly dodging. Starfire shot the beast, but the Starbolts seemed more of an irritation. Even her eye lasers did little damage. The monster charged at her, trying to gouge her with its horns. Nightwing took this opportunity to hit the beast with bombs. It stumbled, but not much else. "Starfire, give me a lift!" Nightwing yelled to his lover. She immediately flew to him, and said, "What's your plan?" He told her to fly higher, which she did, quickly. The monster on the ground unfurled its massive wings and took off. As Nightwing predicted, its immense bulk made it a slow flyer.

"Alright Star, build up as much speed as you can, and then hurl me straight at that thing. Shoot starbolts at its eyes to blind it." Starfire nodded, understanding what Nightwing was planning. She did as asked, and watched her love sailing away from her at a ferocious speed.

Nightwing controlled his flight, making sure he was going where he wanted. He kept his body tight to decrease drag. When he neared the beast, he connected his escrima sticks into a Bo staff, and swung with all his might at the creature's neck. At the last moment, the demon bowed its head, blocking the soft neck. The impact still made a sickening cracking noise, and the monster fell out of the sky. Nightwing had to catch his escrima stick, as the staff had disconnected on impact. He reached up, and Starfire caught him, bringing him safely to the ground.

The monster groggily stood up, half its face caved in. Nightwing noticed one of its eyes had ruptured. Snarling in anger, the monster threw a fireball at Starfire, who wasn't paying attention. The flare hit her square in the chest, and she fell from the sky. "Starfire!" Nightwing yelled, anger burning through him. He took out two birdarangs, and attached them to form a sword. "We Titans try to avoid killing, but you, demon, have just crossed the line. DIE!" Nightwing yelled as he rushed the savage monster. He dodged one claw swipe, but was backhanded. As he flew away from it, Nightwing through a flash grenade, effectively blinding the monster. When he hit the ground, Nightwing rolled to absorb the impact, and then stood, dashing back toward the monster. He jumped up it back, and managed to slash its throat before being batted away by a wing. As he fell away this time, Nightwing threw the sword, stabbing the other eye. Now the beast would rampage blindly, but he could check on Starfire.

Raven was struggling against her foe. She still wasn't fully aware of her new powers, and she didn't want to show her demonic form. She didn't even know if she could change into it, as Gar only helped her change back. She was dodging the demon's swipes, and she would retaliate with hurled objects, but these weren't very effective. The demon roared, and Raven saw a light in its throat. At the last second, she jumped away, narrowly avoiding a stream of superheated plasma. She landed hard, and barely had time to bring up a barrier before the demon attacked again. Raven was shocked to see the monster's claws pass right through her barrier and gash her upper arm and shoulder. She gasped as she backed away, clutching the bleeding wound. The demon laughed at her pain. "Little Raven, it is pointless to fight us. You are a defect, and clearly you don't have your father's strength. We weren't trying to kill you before, but now you and your friends will perish. And your chakra will make a fine meal." The demon advanced slowly, smoke and light coming out of its savage jaws. "_Gar, where are you?"_

"Starfire, are you ok?" Nightwing asked when he reached the alien. She looked up at him and said, "I will be. That just surprised me." At that moment, they were interrupted when the beast screamed, "DAMN YOU! Wretched human, how dare you blind the god of fire, IFRIT! I will end you, and this whole planet!" The monster began shooting fire everywhere, causing massive collateral damage. He stopped, sniffing around. Growing frustrated, the beast jumped into the air, glowing like a dark star, and then he crashed a fist into the ground. On impact, columns of fire started erupting from the ground. Starfire grabbed Nightwing and the couple flew out of range. "Starfire, I have one other idea!" Shouted Nightwing. "I need to get the sword back. Get in the air, and absorb as much solar energy as you can before I give you the signal. When I do, pick me back up, and fly me up as high as you can." Starfire nodded, and let Nightwing go about his business of expertly dodging the flailing creature's limbs, and hoping against hope it wouldn't use another mass area damage attack. It shot fire randomly at the sounds of his movements, but he managed to avoid most of the damage. One blast badly burned his side and back. Ignoring the pain, Nightwing ran to the sword, and ran away from the beast, signaling up to Starfire, who swooped down and picked up the Titans' leader. They sailed up into the air, leaving a fiery trail behind them.

Cyborg was still struggling with the web. Fortunately, the spider lady couldn't figure out where to sink her fangs. Unfortunately, she decided to just rip him apart. She ripped off an arm, and was going for the leg next when Cyborg activated his boot thruster. The web caught fire, and some of it burned away, just enough to allow Cyborg to tear himself free. He jumped up, kicking the spider in the face, and then he ran to his arm. He reattached it while running away, and then began rerouting a few of his systems. He looked behind but didn't see the spider. Thinking he lost her, Cyborg slowed down to focus on his task. Unfortunately, Cyborg forgot spiders can climb walls. She appeared next to him, and swiped at him with a clawed hand. The attack managed to tear his shoulder armor open. Cyborg growled in frustration, but then smirked. He pointed his finger at the spider and said, "You thought the white sound was bad before; let's see how you handle a little laser!" His finger changed slightly and shot a focused steam of white sound. By rerouting some of his arm cannon's components, Cyborg was able to focus the white sound. The focusing of the sonic managed to create a plasma which, when hit with that much friction, became a laser. The beam slashed across the spider lady's shoulder, burning it open, and then Cyborg used it to cut off her legs. Just as he was about to finish her, the laser fizzled out. "Damn, I used up too much power with that. I'll have to work on that more later." He instead ran forward and began pummeling the spider with his fists. The body scraped against the ground, bleeding neon green blood.

Cyborg finally stopped and looked at the beast. She let out a shuddering breath, and collapsed. "Booyah! One down, two to go." As Cyborg was leaving, the body convulsed. Looking back, he saw it rupture, sending out thousands of oversized spiderlings, which proceeded to chase him. "Damn!" He shouted as he ran away.

In the sky, Nightwing said, "Ok, when I throw the sword, shoot it with all the power you have." Starfire nodded, and the couple prepared for the attack. Nightwing took careful aim, and then threw the sword like a spear. The weapon cut through the air like an arrow. Immediately, Starfire let loose a powerful starbolt stream, absorbing sunlight as she released the beam. The force of the bolt turned the sword white hot, and propelled it to much greater speeds. Observers of the incident would later say that the attack looked like a "star was falling from the sky and so this little improvised attack would later be known as the falling star. Both Nightwing and Starfire's aim was true, and the sword/starbolt combo tore through Ifrit's body. The couple gently landed a good distance away from the corpse, which began to glow and smoke. The body burst into flames, and finally exploded. A red light flew from its ashes, and slowly winked out of existence. Breathing heavily, Nightwing said, "We should… go help.. Cyborg and Raven…" He tried to take a few steps, but collapsed. His burned side was cracking and bleeding. "Richard!" Starfire yelled, forgetting they were in public. "You cannot fight. Just stay back, I still have enough strength." Nightwing nodded, and went to sit down somewhere out of the way.

Cyborg was still running when he heard the familiar sound of a starbolt behind him. More accurately, a storm of starbolts. Looking back, he saw the spider horde being decimated by the solar bursts. "Thanks Star!" Cyborg shouted as he kept running. He saw one spider still after him, so he crushed it and burned it with his boot. "Come on, we should go help Raven!" He shouted as he about-faced to get to his friend.

Raven was having a bad time of this fight. While she could dodge, she couldn't inflict major damage. The monster was cut and scraped in a few places, but it was nothing compared to the collection of wounds Raven now sported. She was breathing heavily when the monster rammed her with its shoulder, knocking the wind out of her. She jumped backwards, landing heavily and falling to her knees. "You are a disappointment… Oh well. Time to die little one." The demon raised its claws high in the air, looking for the right angle to slice Raven's head off.

Gar had finally reached the battle. Using his hawk eyes, he could see the demon from weeks ago was back, and was about to kill Raven. His heart racing, Gar dove at the demon. A few feet away from it, he quickly shifted into tiger, extending his claws at the demon. For those who don't know, a peregrine falcon could dive at speeds exceeding 200 mph. A male tiger can weigh in excess of 660 pounds. When a creature going over 200 mph suddenly gains several hundred pounds, the impact force is suddenly greatly increased. Thus, when Beast Boy hit the demon, his forearms cracked and the demon's chest was torn open, and a few of his ribs were cracked. Gar landed next to Raven in his human form, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"Hey Rae, how you holdin' up?" Gar asked as he put his arm around Raven's shoulder. As soon as his skin touched her demonic blood, massive pain shot through his body. He flinched slightly, but didn't react otherwise. He helped Raven up, and looked at the beast he just assaulted. "Damn, that thing can take a beating! He should be dead!" Raven shook her head, saying grimly, "It is much more powerful than it is letting on. It has been _toying_ with us this whole time. The demon began laughing at her statement, and then said, "Right you are child. But now you will die!" A black aura surrounded the demon's body. A strange growling and a vicious wind filled the air. With a small explosion, the magic dissipated, revealing a new form.

The demon now stood ten feet tall, and looked more humanoid. His well muscled body was covered in spikes. From his elbows, two blades extended out. The head had three horns, all swept back. In the center of the forehead, a large, electric blue jewel shone brightly. The monster spread a pair of beetle-like wings, and growled at the two Titans in front of him.

"Rae." Gar said grimly. She looked over to him. "The only way to kill this thing is if you show your true power. You have to change. Now." Raven nodded, and began chanting her mantra. She focused on her demon form. Suddenly, her jewel began glowing bright crimson, and her eyes burned the same color. An eruption of dark magic surrounded her, and her demonic form was revealed. Unfortunately, Beast Boy was in the transformation flux, and the magic coupled with the demon blood on his body caused him to drop to the ground, screaming in agony. Raven looked back at him. "Beastboy!" Raven yelled, concern in her voice. She quickly turned back to the other demon, shouting, "What did you do to him!" The monster grunted and said, in a condescending tone, "I did nothing. Something is wrong in the body of your friend, his DNA is altered. Coming in contact with your demon blood and your transformation flux did something to him." Raven looked back and was shocked to see Beastboy warping and twisting. It looked like his body was unsure of what form to take, so just kept shifting around. Finally, his struggles ended, and Beastboy lay still, a slight green glow surrounding him.

"Beastboy… No…" Raven whispered. She turned her full attention back to the demon. Anger, guilt, and sorrow were flooding her mind now. With a scream she rushed to the monster, slashing at its face with her claws. The demon was taken by surprise, and its face was left with bloody furrows, a ribbon of skin dangling off the exposed bones. "BASTARD! You will be the one to die!" Raven screeched as she continued her onslaught. The monster blocked some attacks, but raven slammed the heel of her palm into his chest, focusing her power into the hit. A blast of dark energy sent the creature flying backwards, and Raven noticed it was bleeding. Before the demon could get up, Raven narrowed her eyes, hoping she had inherited her Father's death stare. She had. The top pair of eyes began smoldering, and then a focused beam of heat shot forth, burning off one of the demon's arms.

"Damn you Trigon whelp! You are more powerful than I thought. Truly, you are your father's daughter." The demon stood, and then flew into the air. "Time to end this before you get lucky again." He lifted his hand in the air, and a large ball of fire appeared. He threw it forward, and a demonic dragon appeared, rushing toward Raven. Raven's eyes widened as she desperately thought of what she could do. Then, an idea clicked. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" She yelled, holding her hands up. Red markings appeared all around her body, and a black vortex materialized before her. The dragon was swallowed by the blackness. "WHAT? How did you do that?" the demon screamed in rage. Raven smirked up at him, and held up her hand. The black vortex reappeared in front of the demon, and the dragon came roaring out. It consumed its maker, and quickly faded out of existence. Raven smirked in triumph that her plan worked, and then she turned back into a human and went to Beastboy.

The green glow around Beastboy had shrunk until it only surrounded his head. It then coalesced into a green gem on his forehead. When this happened, his eyes snapped open, and an eruption of green energy surrounded him. The transformation flux receded, and what stood there was no linger Beastboy. "Gar…?" Raven asked, slowly approaching. The creature snapped up, and looked straight at her. Its eyes were deep emerald green, and the face was still Gar's, just more angular. More refined. His ears were longer, he still had his normal fangs, and his face was framed by a pair of horns that curved downward. Another large pair curved back and up. Gar's hair was now hardened into swept back spikes. The rest of his body looked encased in dark green armor. Around his neck and shoulders was a slight mane of green fur, which was also present on his legs and arms. A large pair of chiropteran wings grew from his back, as well as a smaller pair of insect wings. Gar's feet were now cloven, and so were his hands. He had three fingers now, and the fingers looked like claws, only they were as flexible as normal fingers. His eyes and forehead jewel flashed briefly before the transformation reversed, and the now-Human Gar collapsed in front of Raven.


End file.
